This invention relates in general to a sporting bat, such as a baseball bat, and more specifically involves a bat having a fiber/resin composite handle and a metal hitting barrel, such as of aluminum, and a method of manufacture.
Conventional bats are predominately either made entirely of wood or of aluminum. Wooden bats break more easily and wear out faster than aluminum bats. Aluminum bats are harder-hitting and longer-lasting than wooden bats, but transmit more shock to the batter such that a batter""s hands and arms can be numbed.
Bats of other materials and multiple materials have been proposed to overcome the shortcomings of traditional bats, but, for various reasons, none have replaced the traditional bats. Bats of multiple materials tend to be more difficult to produce and, thus, are more expensive. Also, there is often an engineering problem and a production problem with joining dissimilar materials.
Therefore, it is desirable to produce a bat that overcomes the shortcomings of conventional bats, is durable, and is still easy to produce.